Biggest UK sculpture exhibition ever held outside London

Works by Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst and Sir Eduardo Palozzi are amongst those to be to be featured at Crucible – arguably the largest and most important exhibition of contemporary sculpture in Britain during the last 20 years.

Set to be staged in Gloucester from September 1^st, through to October 30^th, the exhibition will feature many of Britain’s most renowned sculptures and internationally famous artists, including 13 who are members of the Royal Academy of Arts, and one Hibernian Academician, the event as a whole will feature around 75 outstanding works of art.

Sculptures by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, Lynn Chadwick, Antony Gormley and Damien Hirst. Some pieces have been sourced from private collections or specially loaned, and several have been made specifically for the exhibition. Many have never been seen in public before.

It is thought to be the biggest sculpture exhibition in Britain for the last 20 years, as well as the largest ever held outside of London.

Crucible is jointly organised by Gloucester Cathedral and Gallery Pangolin, the exhibition will be on show at the world-famous Cathedral from September 1^st to October 30^th. The exhibition will be completely free of charge, allowing people from all walks of life access to some of the most exceptional contemporary sculpture of the past 50 years.

Gloucester Cathedral will provide a magnificent backdrop for Crucible, which will take place throughout the building and grounds, including the crypt and cloisters. A centre for sculpture itself, the Cathedral has been producing outstanding stonemasonry for the past 900 years and still employs seven talented masons to continue their work.

And one of the Cathedral’s very own masons, Jordi Raga Frances – a gifted sculptor in his own right – is proud to have his work included in this world-class exhibition.

The 75 works of art will constitute a who’s who of contemporary British sculpture, from the “New Bronze Age” sculptors of the 1950s to current household names such as Hirst and Gormely.

A reinforced concrete plinth, meanwhile, has been cast by the main entrance to the Cathedral in preparation for the centre-piece of the exhibition, Sir EduardoPaolozzi’s monumental sculpture of Vulcan.

The combined weight of all of the pieces int eh exhibition comes to 25 tons. The works are coming from all over the British Isles, from Scotland to Cornwall, as well as from Cork in Ireland.

A selection of the works on show at the exhibition an now be viewed at http://www.crucible2010.co.uk/index.php?page=gallery

Gloucester Cathedral is itself a treasure-house of art and artefacts. And Crucible will continue the tradition with world-class sculptures, guaranteed to make an impression on all who attend.

Further details can be found at www.crucible2010.co.uk.

Visitor information, meanwhile, is available at www.thecityofgloucester.co.uk.

Music diversity this summer in Gloucester

A free music festival comes to the park with beer tent, food and drink, stalls, funfair and urban beach. The event also features a second stage, curated by Young Gloucestershire, showcasing the region’s finest young bands and DJs.

Ska and 2 Tone legends The Beat headline a FREE, one day music festival in Gloucester’s main city park. The Birmingham collective head up a great bill of live music in the year that they celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of their debut album, and their heady mix of ska, 2 Tone, soul, punk and reggae is still packing venues and festival fields across the land!

Live music will be heard throughout the streets of Gloucester this summer.  There is an eclectic mix of music festivals from the oldest music festival in europe, the Three Choirs Festival to Barn on a Farm, an intimate folk festival taking place at Over Farm.

The Beat will be performing at Music in the Park

Three Choirs Festival

held each year since the early eighteenth century, and rotating between the three great cathedral cities of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford is one of the world’s oldest classical choral music festivals. This heritage has long established the Festival as a firm fixture in the British music calendar and a must-visit for lovers of the great choral works from across Britain, Europe, America and Australasia. The festival runs from the 7th – 15th August.

Barn on the Farm is a new folk festival taking place at over farm, limited to 200 people, this intimate weekend festival is headlined by Matthew and the Atlas and is the brilliant invention of Matt Hegarty who supported Mumford and Sons on our last UK tour in Reading. All of us and the remainder of the audience were awestruck by his voice, his lyrics, his vibe. Like a UK cross between Bon Iver and Ray Lamontagne.” Ben Lovett, Mumford and Son. The fun runs from 24th – 25th July.

Music in the Park on the 24th July is  free music festival with beer tent, food and drink, stalls, funfair and urban beach. The event also features a second stage, curated by Young Gloucestershire, showcasing the region’s finest young bands and DJs.

Last but not least the sound of blues returns to the city at the Gloucester Blues Festival running from the 24th July – 1st August, the best names in  blues will perform in pubs and venues across the city.

All these events are part of Summer in Gloucester two months of family events, music festivals and much much more.

Ska and 2 Tone legends The Beat headline the free festival in Gloucester’s main city park. The Birmingham collective head up a great bill of live music in the year that they celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of their debut album, and their heady mix of ska, 2 Tone, soul, punk and reggae is still packing venues and festival fields across the land!

Gloucester Cathedral in full bloom

Fresh from clinching the opportunity to host Crucible – one of the largest and most important exhibitions of contemporary sculpture to take place in Britain for 10 years – the Cathedral has also revealed it will be home to Glorious Gloucestershire 2011.

For next year’s high-profile event, the Cathedral will be filled with spectacular floral arrangements celebrating Gloucestershire’s famous people, products and events.

At the heart of Glorious Gloucestershire (13 – 16 July 2011) will be a magnificent floral carpet stretching the length of the Nave as well as well as stalls, talks and music.

Tickets will be on sale from March 2011, but group organisers or coach operators can sign up for priority booking prior to the release of tickets by contacting 01452 528095 or emailing reception@gloucestercathedral.org.uk

One of the finest Cathedrals in England, and rated as one of the most beautiful in the world, the 900-year-old Norman Cathedral is the centre point of the City and will take centre stage for both of these major events.

From 1 September 2010 to 30 October 2010, Gloucester Cathedral will provide a magnificent setting for Crucible, which will take place throughout the building and grounds, including the crypt and cloisters. (www.crucible2010.co.uk)

Over 70 works of art will be featured by many of Britain’s most renowned sculptors and internationally famous artists, including pieces by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, Lynn Chadwick, Antony Gormley and Damien Hirst. Some have been sourced from private collections or specially loaned and several have been made especially for the exhibition – with many never seen in public before.

A centre for sculpture itself, the Cathedral has been producing outstanding stonemasonry for the past 900 years and still employs 7 talented masons to continue this work. One of the Cathedral masons, Jordi Raga Frances, also a gifted sculptor, is extremely proud to have his work included in this world-class exhibition.

For more details about the Cathedral events, see www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk

For full details of all events as well as places to visit and short break ideas, visit www.thecityofgloucester.co.uk

City of Gloucester’s sizzling summer season

Colourscape part of Summer in Gloucester

Summer in the city will be even brighter in Gloucester this year thanks to a new campaign drawing together a feast of fun throughout the sunshine season.

Gloucester already has a well-earned reputation as one of the best centres in Britain for mainstream, as well as unusual, events and festivals.

And for 2010, Gloucester aims to make the most of summer with a host of events, from a beach in the park to spectacular firework displays, and from classic motorbikes to the prestigious Three Choirs Festival.

Throw in the return of cricket to the city after a break last year, the popular International Rhythm & Blues Festival and even volleyball, and it’s clear that Gloucester has something for all tastes.

But summer in the city really starts to sizzle with Carnival in the Park (Sat 17 July) – a huge party and procession in and around Gloucester Park with live music, food and drink, fairground rides and attractions and stalls.

From 23 July – 30 July Beach in the Park will see around 70 tons of sand transform a corner of the park into a typical seaside setting, with donkey rides, sandcastle competitions, Punch and Judy shows and storytellers, while Fireworks in the Park lights up the sky on Sat 31 July.

Music of all kinds has long set Gloucester apart as a cosmopolitan city and its renowned International Rhythm and Blues Festival, now in its tenth year, will once again wow audiences (24th July to Sunday 1st August).

And the Three Choirs Festival, an international classical music festival rotates each August between the cathedral cities of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester, returns to the awe-inspiring setting of Gloucester Cathedral for 2010 (Sat 7 August – Sun 15 Aug).

Rounding off the summer, why not rev up for the Motorcycle Festival at Hempsted Meadows, or get all sporty at the Gloucester VolleyBall Festival, (both Sat 14 Aug – Sun 15 Aug)?

For full details of all events as well as places to visit and short break ideas  from Gloucester are available here.